Worker Co-op Weekend 2024

Taking place at Thornbridge outdoor pursuits centre near Sheffield, the worker co-op weekend has a 2.5 day programme full of peer learning and business networking opportunities. There will be great food, music, camping and campfires as well as indoor accommodation and event spaces, and it's always fun.

We're co-creating the programme with a mix of planned and open space events. If there are subjects you'd like to see covered, or would be interested in running a session yourself, please add a suggestion to this list. This could be a workshop, training, a game, or even facilitating a sport/art activity. Discussion about the event is in this forum post.

Worker Co-op Weekend is generously supported by DotCoop

Booking options:

Members of workers.coop get a 20% discount on the below prices. You should have received this discount code via email or it is available in the member only area of the forum, here. 

Young cooperators travel bursaries

Solid Fund and Young Coopertors Network are collaborating to offer travel bursaries to young people (30 and under) interested in worker cooperation who are keen on participating in UK cooperative events. Application is easy and is first come first serve - find out more here.

Programme

We are pleased to announce some of the planned events. These will happen alongside allocated time for business networking, a chillout area, art space, regional meet-up planning space and more.

History of the Co-op Movement

From the Fenwick Weavers Society through to the foundation of workers.coop, this session will take you through key milestones of the co-op movement and the lessons we can learn from the past. Hear from voices of those experienced in the co-op movement.

How to Make Money

This workshop will cover aspects such as:

• How do you go about creating new products and services?
• How do you price your work?
• Funding the co-op movement. Collective discussion exploring different types of funding, their advantages and disadvantages.

Accounting and Tax workshop for worker co-ops

This session will be a dive into accounting and/or VAT specifically aimed at worker co-ops. A skill that we all need to master when we do our returns or look at our balance sheets. More details coming soon, or let us know what you would like this training to include. Led by Third Sector Accountancy.

Getting to 1,000 worker co-ops in 2 years

There are around 500 worker co-ops in the UK. Getting to 1,000 in two years would mean creating 5 a week. This session will imagine we did it. The question is, how did we do it? Facilitated by workers.coop.

Sessions will run from Friday afternoon after arrival through to Sunday. Don't forget to submit any programme suggestions here or join the WCW discussion thread on the forum with any questions.